The SR-91 Aurora is a reportedly conceptualized American spy plane that has for so long fed the imagination of most of aviation enthusiasts and military experts. This is generally believed to fly at hypersonic speeds well over Mach 5. There were beliefs that this could have been developed in the ’80s or ’90s as a replacement for the aging SR-71 Blackbird.
A May 2006 British Ministry of Defence report alluded to USAF plans for a Mach 4-6 capable ultra-supersonic vehicle, but nothing concrete has surfaced to date. Many have speculated that work on the Aurora project was eventually canceled in favor of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles and reconnaissance satellites which could accomplish some or most of these goals without risking human life.
The question is, does the US Air Force or America’s shadowy intelligence agencies have a secret hypersonic aircraft capable of Mach 6? The evidence is mounting that the answer is in the affirmative. Probably one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for this came in August 1989 when oil exploration engineer Chris Gibson witnessed a triangular aircraft over the North Sea. Furthermore, the unexplained “sky quakes” over Los Angeles since the early 1990s, often tracked to the secretive Groom Lake, Nevada, installation known as Area 51, only add more fuel to the fire regarding Aurora’s presumed existence.
The name Aurora has been in the open since a censor slipped up in the 1985 Pentagon budget request, listing the name on a funding schedule below the SR-71 Blackbird and U-2. If this truly was the name of the project, chances are it would have been changed after being compromised. Much like the F-117a stealth fighter, whose true name remains a secret and was revealed to the public over a decade after its first test flight, the actual name of the aircraft remains classified.
The first whisper of Aurora’s existence came on March 6, 1990, when a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird shattered the official airspeed record from Los Angeles to Washington’s Dulles Airport. This event marked the end of the SR-71’s operational career, officially retired to save the $200-$300 million annual operating cost. However, the USAF’s lack of opposition to the SR-71’s retirement and the discouragement of congressional attempts to revive the program indicate that Aurora was the missing factor.
The most probable prime contractor for the SR-91 Aurora is Lockheed’s Skunk Works, now the Lockheed Advanced Development Company. Financial analysts in the 1980s determined that Lockheed was developing several large classified projects but couldn’t identify enough of them to account for the company’s income. The Skunk Works has a unique record of managing large, high-risk programs under unparalleled secrecy.
The most probable prime contractor for the SR-91 Aurora is Lockheed’s Skunk Works, now the Lockheed Advanced Development Company. Financial analysts in the 1980s determined that Lockheed was developing several large classified projects but couldn’t identify enough of them to account for the company’s income. The Skunk Works has a unique record of managing large, high-risk programs under unparalleled secrecy.
The SR-91 Aurora represents perhaps the most mysterious and elusive subject of modern military aviation, being clothed in secrecy and rumor. Whether it does or it doesn’t, Aurora’s legend intrigues and motivates those who seek to understand the secrets America has kept hidden about its advanced aerospace capability.